May 21, 2017 — Awareness raising sounds innocent enough. People are forever raising awareness about neglected diseases. Helping people recognize a problem can be a constructive step on the way to solving it – usually. And so it is that some well-intended folks are proposing “shock tactics” to promote obesity awareness. They want to compel parents in the UK to take […]
May 20, 2017 — At ECO2017 this week, it’s been unmistakable. A global view of obesity is emerging. In a report published Friday, the U.S. is once again number one in the world for obesity prevalence. Back in 2013, the United Nations said Mexico temporarily slipped ahead of the U.S. in this dubious distinction. But the latest comparative report from the […]
May 19, 2017 — At ECO2017 yesterday in Porto, Guardian Health Editor Sarah Boseley explained the lens that journalists bring to obesity. She sparked a lively discussion with EASO leaders, health policy advocates, and EASO Patient Council members. Sounding Alarms and Reflecting the Culture As an experienced journalist, Boseley explained a few basics. She expressed little inclination to write […]
May 18, 2017 — At the 2017 European Congress on Obesity yesterday, ConscienHealth’s Ted Kyle presented data on contrasting views of obesity in Europe. These views provide a window into bias about obesity and people who have it. From a sample of 34,320 adults in Sweden, UK, Germany, and Italy, a fascinating picture emerges. Belief that obesity results from addiction to […]
May 17, 2017 — Body Mass Index (BMI) is that essential tool we love to hate. As a marker for obesity in adults, BMI stirs never-ending debates. Despite its limitations, nothing seems likely to replace BMI for adults. But for young people, the story is very different. BMI doesn’t work so well for children and teens. And now, a […]
May 16, 2017 — It’s the key sticking point for repealing the Affordable Care Act. Will people with pre-existing conditions still get affordable health coverage? In a forum Friday at Stanford University, Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, provided an answer. He described pre-existing conditions that Trumpcare should cover and shouldn’t cover. The Jimmy Kimmel Test Mulvaney attempted to answer a simple question. “Do you […]
May 15, 2017 — Is fear a useful tool for promoting public health? Skimming the headlines you might think so. Hopes and fears for our health often take a ride on the beverages we drink and demonize. Fear the Bubbles In the UK, the press seems delighted to hype a rat study of carbonated water, saying that it will […]
May 14, 2017 — You could see it coming. New leadership in the USDA was careful about pulling back on food policy. “We’re not unwinding or winding back any nutritional standards at all,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. He paired these words with actions to ease up on standards advocated by Michelle Obama. But this week it was the […]
May 13, 2017 — Newly published in Obesity Reviews, we have yet another declaration and description of obesity as a disease. For the World Obesity Federation, George Bray, Kyoung Kon Kim, and John Wilding authored a fine position statement declaring that obesity is a chronic, relapsing, progressive disease process. And they are pretty definitive about what’s causing it. Abundant, tasty […]
May 12, 2017 — People don’t like surgery. No matter how you put it, knives are scary. Even though data on the benefits of bariatric surgery could hardly be stronger, less than one percent of the people who could benefit actually choose to have bariatric surgery. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that new data on a nonsurgical gastric […]
